Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Everyone’s favorite detective team returns in a new adventure as canine narrator Chet and his human partner P.I. Bernie Little find that Hollywood has gone to the dogs.

Hoping to bring some Tinseltown money to the Valley, the mayor lures a movie studio to town to shoot their next production, a big-budget Western in the classic tradition. The star is none other than ruggedly handsome&#8212;and notoriously badly behaved&#8212;Thad Perry. When the mayor decides that someone needs to keep an eye on Thad so that he doesn’t get into too much trouble, Bernie and Chet are handpicked for the job. The money is good but something smells fishy, and what should have been a simple matter of babysitting soon gets more complicated&#8212;especially when they discover that Thad has a mysterious connection to the Valley that nobody wants to talk about. What kind of secret could Thad have left behind when he went to Hollywood to seek fame and fortune? The only people who might know the answer have a bad habit of turning up dead before they can talk.

As Bernie’s relationship with his longtime girlfriend Suzie goes long-distance, and Chet’s late-night assignations appear to have resulted in an unexpected dividend, it’s all our two sleuths can do to keep Thad and his motley entourage of yes-men, handlers, and hangers-on in their sights. Worst of all, Thad is a self-proclaimed cat person, and his feline friend Brando has taken an instant dislike to Chet.

Like the winning books before it, this fifth book in the series combines a top-notch mystery with genuine humor and a perceptive take on the relationship between human and dog that will stay with you long after the case is solved.

Review:

"The pseudonymous Quinn's fine fifth Chet and Bernie mystery (after 2011's The Dog Who Knew Too Much) finds Bernie Little and his dog, Chet, of the Little Detective Agency, strapped for cash. Fortunately, Mayor Trimble of the Valley, their hometown in an unnamed western state, has a job for them. The avaricious mayor, who has launched a Millennial Cultural Initiative to attract the movie business, has managed to land the next blockbuster action flick featuring megastar Thad Perry. Trimble wants Bernie to keep an eye on Perry, who has a history of substance abuse. The assignment gets off to a rocky start when the actor challenges Little to a fistfight at their first meeting. Some murders that coincide with the filming ensure that the unusual detecting partners have additional work to do. Once again, Quinn (thriller author Peter Abrahams) effectively uses a dog narrator while avoiding the sentimentality that marks many animal-centered cozies. Agent: Molly Friedrich, the Friedrich Agency. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Synopsis:

Everyone’s favorite detective team returns in a new adventure as canine narrator Chet and his human partner P.I. Bernie Little find that Hollywood has gone to the dogs.

Hoping to bring some Tinseltown money to the Valley, the mayor lures a movie studio to town to shoot their next production, a big-budget Western in the classic tradition. The star is none other than ruggedly handsome—and notoriously badly behaved—Thad Perry. When the mayor decides that someone needs to keep an eye on Thad so that he doesn’t get into too much trouble, Bernie and Chet are handpicked for the job. The money is good but something smells fishy, and what should have been a simple matter of babysitting soon gets more complicated—especially when they discover that Thad has a mysterious connection to the Valley that nobody wants to talk about. What kind of secret could Thad have left behind when he went to Hollywood to seek fame and fortune? The only people who might know the answer have a bad habit of turning up dead before they can talk.

As Bernie’s relationship with his longtime girlfriend Suzie goes long-distance, and Chet’s late-night assignations appear to have resulted in an unexpected dividend, it’s all our two sleuths can do to keep Thad and his motley entourage of yes-men, handlers, and hangers-on in their sights. Worst of all, Thad is a self-proclaimed cat person, and his feline friend Brando has taken an instant dislike to Chet.

Like the winning books before it, this fifth book in the series combines a top-notch mystery with genuine humor and a perceptive take on the relationship between human and dog that will stay with you long after the case is solved.

Synopsis:

Chet the dog and Bernie, his private investigator companion, are back in the New York Times bestselling mystery series as they investigate a movie star with a shady past.

Stephen King has called Chet “a canine Sam Spade full of joie de vivre.” Robert B. Parker has dubbed Spencer Quinn’s writing “major league prose.” Each of the books in this irresistible mystery series is a New York Times bestseller and now Quinn returns with a story that reveals the true magnitude of Chet’s star power.

Hoping to bring some Hollywood money to the Valley, the mayor lures a movie studio to town to shoot their next major production starring Thad Perry. Known for his bad behavior, Thad needs a babysitter and the mayor hires Chet and Bernie for the job. The money is good, but something smells fishy. When they dig into the details of an old crime, they discover that Thad has links to the Valley that go way back. To complicate matters, for some odd reason, Thad’s cat, Brando, seems hellbent on making trouble for Chet.

Like the winning books before it, this latest in the series offers a top-notch mystery and a rollicking good read about this irresistible human-canine P.I. team.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 3 comments:

Brickland, January 29, 2013 (view all comments by Brickland)
This is another great book in a great series. Spencer Quinn changes the formula in this book to keep things interesting. Chet's narration and insights into humans are hilarious and even thought provoking. The book is full of great and memorable moments, like a brief confusion over the phrase "downloading to the cloud." This book shows that the series has staying power and won't get stale any time soon. If you're a fan of the series, pick it up. If you haven't read any books in this series yet, I'd recommend starting with the first book ("Dog On It"), but you can start with this one too.

Virginia, January 2, 2013 (view all comments by Virginia)
This is the fifth in the series of Chet & Bernie mysteries. Each one is better than the last. Bernie is a private eye assisted by his dog, Chet. Books are narrarted by Chet with numerous dog musings on dog biscuits, the joy of riding shot gun, human's inferior sence of smell and SQUIRREL!! What was I saying??? Good mystery, but better humor.

selective reader, December 12, 2012 (view all comments by selective reader)
Another great read from Spencer Quinn. Mystery and animal lover's alike will enjoy this book in the Chet and Bernie Mysteries. Mr. Quinn's interesting use of Chet as the dog narrator results in a different perspective than other mysteries. I look forward to the next one in this series. A fun read for all.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)

"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"The pseudonymous Quinn's fine fifth Chet and Bernie mystery (after 2011's The Dog Who Knew Too Much) finds Bernie Little and his dog, Chet, of the Little Detective Agency, strapped for cash. Fortunately, Mayor Trimble of the Valley, their hometown in an unnamed western state, has a job for them. The avaricious mayor, who has launched a Millennial Cultural Initiative to attract the movie business, has managed to land the next blockbuster action flick featuring megastar Thad Perry. Trimble wants Bernie to keep an eye on Perry, who has a history of substance abuse. The assignment gets off to a rocky start when the actor challenges Little to a fistfight at their first meeting. Some murders that coincide with the filming ensure that the unusual detecting partners have additional work to do. Once again, Quinn (thriller author Peter Abrahams) effectively uses a dog narrator while avoiding the sentimentality that marks many animal-centered cozies. Agent: Molly Friedrich, the Friedrich Agency. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,
Everyone’s favorite detective team returns in a new adventure as canine narrator Chet and his human partner P.I. Bernie Little find that Hollywood has gone to the dogs.

Hoping to bring some Tinseltown money to the Valley, the mayor lures a movie studio to town to shoot their next production, a big-budget Western in the classic tradition. The star is none other than ruggedly handsome—and notoriously badly behaved—Thad Perry. When the mayor decides that someone needs to keep an eye on Thad so that he doesn’t get into too much trouble, Bernie and Chet are handpicked for the job. The money is good but something smells fishy, and what should have been a simple matter of babysitting soon gets more complicated—especially when they discover that Thad has a mysterious connection to the Valley that nobody wants to talk about. What kind of secret could Thad have left behind when he went to Hollywood to seek fame and fortune? The only people who might know the answer have a bad habit of turning up dead before they can talk.

As Bernie’s relationship with his longtime girlfriend Suzie goes long-distance, and Chet’s late-night assignations appear to have resulted in an unexpected dividend, it’s all our two sleuths can do to keep Thad and his motley entourage of yes-men, handlers, and hangers-on in their sights. Worst of all, Thad is a self-proclaimed cat person, and his feline friend Brando has taken an instant dislike to Chet.

Like the winning books before it, this fifth book in the series combines a top-notch mystery with genuine humor and a perceptive take on the relationship between human and dog that will stay with you long after the case is solved.

"Synopsis"
by Netread,
Chet the dog and Bernie, his private investigator companion, are back in the New York Times bestselling mystery series as they investigate a movie star with a shady past.

Stephen King has called Chet “a canine Sam Spade full of joie de vivre.” Robert B. Parker has dubbed Spencer Quinn’s writing “major league prose.” Each of the books in this irresistible mystery series is a New York Times bestseller and now Quinn returns with a story that reveals the true magnitude of Chet’s star power.

Hoping to bring some Hollywood money to the Valley, the mayor lures a movie studio to town to shoot their next major production starring Thad Perry. Known for his bad behavior, Thad needs a babysitter and the mayor hires Chet and Bernie for the job. The money is good, but something smells fishy. When they dig into the details of an old crime, they discover that Thad has links to the Valley that go way back. To complicate matters, for some odd reason, Thad’s cat, Brando, seems hellbent on making trouble for Chet.

Like the winning books before it, this latest in the series offers a top-notch mystery and a rollicking good read about this irresistible human-canine P.I. team.

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